Surta Matahari Huchson

---

Under all that armor, under her faceplate, Surta smirked. The Jedi certainly were far from what they claimed to be. She could feel their emotions without even trying. The man escaping so quickly and with such a flashy method was bound to upset anyone who had to uphold not only their reputation, but of their cult's as well.

The falling ceiling was of no consequence to her; the armor she wore was made for much much more, even with its current state. Surta glanced at the blaster rifle she was holding, suddenly aware she was still holding the now dead thug's weapon. Perhaps, in due time, she could fully rearm the suit with heavier ordinance.

But for now, she moved towards Lahana, offering a hand to her.

"You did nothing wrong. Tis normal to act upon one's feelings." A low voice, modulated as it came out of the suit, low enough for only Lahana to hear.

The explosive blast was mitigated somewhat by the fact that Valter was able to use his instincts to reflexively jump for cover onto the ground. He wasn't dazed quite as much as the others due to that, and his armor's protective properties helped. "FIND THE HOSTILES, AND ELIMINATE THEM! NOW! GUARDS UP!" shouted Valter as things started to go to shit. He didn't think it would go this bad so quickly. He had thought this to be a quick, and easy mission so far only to get that thrown out the window. This was no worse than what he had seen, and done, in Nal Hutta when rival hutts had issues with each other they tended to get nasty. His helmet shielded him from gross smells, and the fumes around the air. Filtration systems were very nice indeed. People thought he wore this armor just because he was a Mandalorian...still he couldn't help but wonder if the weaker willed individuals around him weren't faring as well keeping his eyes peeled in the nearby area he prepared for a possible retaliation. "Keep focused we don't know if there's anyone else around here! Just because the werehouse is done for doesn't mean we're out of the loop yet." Valter said very firmly as he kept his guard, and mind up not intending to get shot like an idiot. Even if he did a blaster bolt wouldn't get through his armor easily.

Lahana examined a crooked ring finger on her right hand, she must have landed on it awkwardly. "I'll tell him myself." She said, pulling the finger back into place with a pop. She wasn't looking forward to speaking with her master, but she had no intention of hiding anything from him, she owed him too much. She looked up at the person in the bulky power armor as they spoke to her. She had expected them to be more the type to not say anything unless the needed to. She took their hand and stood to her feet. "Thank you but... A Jedi is supposed to be better than normal." She looked over to the body of the twi'lek girl whose death she caused, all because she gave into her base instinct. The least she could do was get her out of here among the common criminals. That line of thought was cut short however, as Gloopra received word that the Republic base was under attack. A chill ran down her spine, her master was there and she couldn't help but worry about him. She moved to board the ship.

"You are the most high strung Mando I've ever seen." Jayce remarked as he checked on his drone above the factory. "I'm not seeing anything, we're in the clear. Let's board that ship and hurry back."



Lahana's master rolled his shoulders and stepped forward. "Kale, mam." He said to Vreer, then stepping to the door. "It's been a while since I've faced this many, thankfully I've got some help this time, right Anari?" He said, patting the woman on the shoulder as he picked up the pace to head to the courtyard. Reinforced sliding doors opened for him and he was greeted with the sights and sounds of chaos. A thermal detonator was thrown next to his position by the truck that had crashed through the gate. Kale caught the explosive with the force, and sent it into a group of enemies.

"Its drilled into us when we join my group that we aren't to take any chances in a fight. If something can go wrong probability dictates it probably will. Certainly works considering what happened at Endor awhile back. Area clear." commented Valter as he lowered his rifle and walked over. "Any idea on who we're dealing with here? If we can run some background checks on gangs it may be able to help us track down whoever was in that ship. More info we have the better. When I worked for some Duro's on Kuat once they overlooked the fact that a rival crew was trying to steal their money from underneath them. Next thing you knew they were down half their funds. Even the smallest tidbits help." said Valter further as he walked over to the group. He wasn't sure he liked what was going on. This seemed a bit more premeditated than normal. Did they expect this raid? Or was it just that the people here were overly cautious. It was all too convenient.

What in the-

The world seemed to slow down for Jaida as she observed the shot she took towards the would-be Dark Jedi. She saw the intense laser beam leaving the barrel of her overheating sniper. It was heading straight towards the unassuming man’s head. And just as the beam was about reaching the bounty hunter’s mark, two lightsabers were spinning right between the beam and the target. One collided against the other, allowing Jaida’s shot to make it nonetheless to the outlaw Jedi. Then the moment came for unexpected crap to happen. Her shot was deflected and redirected at Neb, who never saw it coming and paid for this foolishness with a hole in her chest.

“What the blazing f-!?”

The obsidian-haired hunter was cut short as explosions shook the drug den, a ship that came just as swiftly and suddenly as its owner was bombarding the warehouse. Jaida took cover behind the next building’s ventilation unit, safe from flying debris propelling themselves into the building. She could even hear the loud banging of concrete hitting against the metal of the ventilation unit.

No time to wait. No time to mess around. Her comlink picked what her teammates were saying. The base was under attack. She should have known. The Republic was not welcomed on Gamorria. It was only a matter of time before the local gangs, thugs hired by various crime lords, maybe hired assassins, would target the sole foothold of the newly-arrived law-enforcing faction.

Without second guessing herself, Jaida preferred taking swift action than standing around like those idiots down there. They needed to get back, fast. Being already outside and with a clear view of the APC, the ex-huntress climbed down swiftly her vantage point and made her way to the vehicle. Starting its engine, she recklessly brought the transport right in front of a secured entrance, at least one that wasn’t likely to collapse on their head for the moment.

“Confirming, no hostile on the outside. Get your asses back in the APC. Take the eastern route, it should be safe.”

Hearing the woman's voice broadcasting, she was calm and cool-headed, however tinged with frustration.

Gloopra saw the others heading towards the APC "Don't worry, I've got my own ride. He jumped up to the roof, through the hole in the ceiling and was greeted by the immense black fighter. He saw the Padawan follow him. "No, go back to the others." He ordered, similar to someone telling their dog that it could not go to work with it. He saw the determination in her eyes and quickly relented. "Know that you have yet to earn anything close to my trust in your abilities. If you insist on following, know that this thing only has 1 seat." He grunted before jumping atop it and lowering himself down into into the pilots seat. He grabbed the controls and flicked several switches. Lahana followed in him in and the hatch closed behind her.

"Alright, R7, let's get there quickly." He craned his head around to see the Padawan "Hold on to something, we're not in space, so the G-Forces will be at play." It had taken the APC 20 minutes to take them here beforehand. Even if it was just his fighter, they needed some rapid response support back at the Enclave. And on the bright side, if the Padawan was with him in the fighter, then she wouldn't be able to cause any trouble. The Fighter took off at immense speed into the air and within minutes, he had arrived back. The sounds of battle were suddenly sliced open with the Unmistakable sounds of a Twin-Ion Engined craft. The control room of the Enclave would start to receive transmissions "SES-Leader to Enclave, I am here to provide air support. Accelerating to Attack Speed, coming in Fangs Out, repeat Fangs Out." Anyone looking up would see the monstrosity come streaking out of the sky and hail the attack force's transports with heavy blaster fire.

As the Ship streaked floorwards, he heard the Padawan tell him that she had a plan. "No, belay that, do not open the hatch, this is a pressurized com-" At that point, the hatch's emergency handle was opened and the Padawan was sucked out as the cockpit depreassurized. "FORCE DAMMIT!!!" he roared. Before anyone even knew what it was that had been making the noise, 2 were cut to ribbons. The Fighter was forced to pull up and skim above the surrounding buildings. He flicked a few switches, closing the hatch and angling the deflector shields to encompass the whole craft, rather than the double-front he had had on that first pass. If they had any AA, he was about to find out. "Opened fire, 2 confirmed crits. I'm coming about for another attack run." He then switched his comms to the Jedi frequency to contact the 2 already on the ground. "Kale, teach your Padawan some damn respect and discipline!" In the few seconds he had taken to relay this, he had travelled almost 2 miles out whilst swinging about in a wide arc. His hope was that if he came in quickly then, unless they were using top-end military hardware, they shouldn't be able to get a lock on him with any anti-aircraft weapons.

****

Vrerr heard the sounds of gunshots, screaming and explosions. And yet here she was, sat in a relatively nice room, nothing of immediate danger in here. She had stayed with the commander. She looked at him. "Even if I am a pacifist..." She drew her ELG-3A "I am prepared to defend myself and you... To the last. Any plans for escape?" She looked at him, then at Match. She then heard the unmistakable sound of a Twin-Ion Engined craft before a hail of explosions. "I suspect Gloopra has arrived." She put on a weak smile.

It was good to hear someone else’s attempt at speaking out against mindless force. Senator Ordo appreciated a degree of precision, something that the majority in the room sorely lacked. They could not adopt the old tactics of the fallen Empire and simply brute force their way through problems, not with the manpower and resources they possessed on the surface and in orbit. This operation could not sustain the kind of war that Commander Gallowin wanted to wage, and that went double for Match and the community he claimed to represent. While Senator Ordo could see the bigger picture, Anari held doubts about the diplomatic angle she insisted on working, to fight the war ‘her way’. She kept her concerns to herself regarding the smaller crime families, allowing the discussions to continue.

Match’s interest in her name was reasonable, and she was more than happy to give it, but Commander Gallowin leaped at the chance to reply first, adding his disapproval for her lack of respect for his numerous medals. The hand she kept raised towards him fell, and she only offered a glance over her shoulder at him as he came around to the front of the desk. Her rebuttal towards him would serve nothing and no one, and so her thoughts on his rank were kept within. Should he wish to bring up the point that he was in charge again soon, she’d have something to say about it. Until then, her dark eyes returned to Match just as he made mention of the slave markets.

A stronger point could be made by freeing those taken captive, she knew, and it served the people better than merely crippling a single drug processing facility. Saying such wouldn’t change the past, and so Anari kept this to herself, too.

“Neon Glow…” Anari repeated quietly. “I’ll leave immediately—”

A booming crash in the distance followed by the blaring of sirens cut both her sentence and her plans short. Her eyes remained on Match while her Jedi senses reached out to feel the commotion outside. Lives were lost each passing second, both from some members of the New Republic as well as the invaders. As she felt each connection go silent, her eyes shifted to Gallowin. The Commander was inactive; he said nothing, he did nothing, while his men and women worked to repel the opposition.

“Take command, Commander, quickly!” She insisted, nodding towards the door. Negotiating an effective partnership between their forces and Match could wait. At a time like this, the medals on his chest couldn’t be just for dramatic effect.

The Senator reached out to contact those outside the base, mentioning their location being tipped off. Anari found it difficult to imagine a military base being hard to locate, especially when there was no attempt to hide it.

“Not likely,” she muttered under her breath, just before Kale’s hand patted her shoulder. She was reminded of their time on Yavin; while she looked to expand her knowledge of the Force, it was Kale who found his time better spent dismantling training droids in the courtyards and training grounds. He wasn’t the maintenance crew’s favorite young Jedi in the temple, but he did have a way with a lightsaber that she couldn’t take away from him.

Hustling to keep pace with him and assist the soldiers outside, Anari paused in the doorway to look at Match who seemed to be doing his best Commander Gallowin impression—accomplishing nothing. “You said you would no longer wish for order and take action. Prove it. Fight with us.” Giving Match one more moment to consider his value to the New Republic and remember his earlier words, Anari left the office behind and hustled after Kale.

Joining him just as the reinforced doors parted, she only had seconds to process the lines of blaster fire and explosions that shook the base. She reached for the hilt of her lightsaber and grasped it firmly in her right hand, drawing it in front of herself and igniting it to produce a radiant yellow blade. The presence of a lightsaber changed everything. Now, attention came fervently to the pair of Jedi now on the scene, and not only because of a thermal detonator Kale casually returned to sender.

She took her place beside him and reflected bolts to the ground beneath her feet, which either served to irritate the gang members or have their attention turn elsewhere. The cover they took was rearranged one at a time; durasteel crates were parted to expose the hiding enemies behind them, forcing the aliens and humans alike to scramble for new cover, most of which were shot in the attempt. With careful weaving of her fingers, she toyed with the enemy’s sense of safety; some who dared peek out were simply grasped with an invisible hand before being levitated out of place, left to drop their weapons and flail about in the air before the New Republic soldiers saw to their deaths.

Reflecting another daring bolt aimed for her chest into the ground, Anari spared a brief glance at Kale. “Try to keep a few alive. We need to know more!” she shouted over the commotion, hoping his clever little thermal detonator trick would not be repeated until there was nothing left. In the meantime, until their numbers dwindled, she would continue to not only defend herself, but also drag the cover the thugs made use of, and if not that then the thugs themselves.

A Rodian was fluttering around in the air while a Duro took hold of his ankles and desperately tried returning him to the ground, ending up sliding by the heels of his own boots.

Anari’s senses picked up on the approach of familiar Jedi before her ears did, the screaming of an incoming ship as unfamiliar to her as it was obnoxious. Her eyes briefly looked to the skies, seeing a dark ship pass overhead after making a questionable strafing run. That was not the highlight of the battle. The dark figure that chose to descend from the ship as it sped by was, and they began a dangerous descent towards the base.

“Did you teach Lahana to do that!?” Anari asked Kale, noting that the Duro holding onto the Rodian was now leaving the ground as well.

Kale looked up into the sky and saw his Padawan falling from the sky. He shook his head and let out a sigh. "No, that's something she came up with on her own." He said.

Lahana's robes fluttered as she fell through the air. She knew her master would chastise her for this later, but she couldn't waste even a moment, knowing people were in danger while she did nothing made her ceaselessly anxious. As the ground became closer at an alarming rate she took in the battlefield. There were numerous enemies, but they were being held off by both the Republic soldiers and Jedi. With their ground vehicles blown to smithereens they didn't have an easy means of escape either. She clenched her fists and focused. She wasn't very good at being precise with the force, but thankfully what she was about to do didn't require it. Just as she was about to splatter into the ground she thrust her palms forward, using the force to cancel her downward momentum and release it around her. She'd landed right in the middle of a crowd of the attacking gang members.

Those closest to her had been blown away, those close enough and not shocked enough by her entrance rushed at her as they were too close to allies to fire. Lahana spun and kicked a man in the face, he went flying backwards and into a second person. It seemed she'd crack his skull with that kick, it was then she realized that she was perhaps in a bad mood. If there was any time to take it out on someone it was now. She ran over to the truck that had been used to smash the gate and quickly moved to it's front bumper, then grabbing hold of it.

She'd noticed a while ago that it was easier for her to lift things with the force if she was physically holding it. This wasn't very useful for smaller objects, but it did mean that she was able to pick up massive objects a little easier than most. Perhaps it was the result of her strengthening her body, or it could simply be a placebo effect. What she did know was that it scared the hell out of her enemies that saw her do it. The truck rose into the air until it was above her head. She threw it straight into a group of enemies that were trying to take cover. the truck exploded... Much more violently than a truck is supposed to. Lahana tried to use the force to project a barrier to protect herself, but only managed to avoid lethal injury and was flung backwards. Apparently the truck had been loaded with plastic explosives. The idiots loading it figured a molotov would be enough to set it off.

Inside the base Gallowin was directing a squad of soldiers, having them cut off the path of the enemy, preventing them from taking favorable positions. Meanwhile his assistant Fufuro was sent to guard the back entrance of the base. Match and his guards had gathered near the front entrance and were providing covering fire for the Republic soldiers.

Back in the end of the base, alone, where the sounds of the battle were muffled and far away, Fufuro was nearly screaming her lekku off. "I said shut up!" A ragged looking man holding a blaster at her shouted. Somehow he'd found his way into the back of the base. Fufuro shut her mouth, switching to whimpering and quivering her lips. "Now tell me the launch codes for the missiles." He said.

"There aren't any missiles." She whined, her eyes watering. "And we don't even use launch codes, who told you we had missiles?"

"Stop lying!" The man raised the gun to smack her, Fufuro let out a cowardly scream and grabbed the man's wrist, then pushing her back into him and flipping him onto his back. The man his his head and lost consciousness. Fufuro tapped the man with her foot, making sure he was out.

"T-that's what you get, s-suck it!"

The smoke from the trucks explosion cleared, revealing that a small group of thugs were left, disoriented and attempting to escape. Lahana struggled to get to her feet, but couldn't move. "I think you've done enough, Padawan." Kale stepped forward in front of her and raised his right hand. Ten blasters and rifles rose into the air and pointed themselves at the last remaining gang members. One of the ten tried to run off, only for a shot to be fired at his feet. Him and the rest reluctantly raised their hands in surrender.

At this point the two people Anari had lifted from the ground were quite high up. "I think they've learned their lesson Anari, One of them seems to be crying."

As soon as everyone from the assault unit boarded the APC, it didn’t take long for Jaida to initiate the engine and take off at maximum speed. No time to lose, some had already figured that out and have already taken off with their own means of transport.

As much as she refused to admit it, she wanted the Republic to survive this attack. If change had to be brought on Gamorria, they were probably her last and only hope of doing so. She needed them alive if she wanted her goals to be fulfilled.

“Fasten your seatbelts, ladies and gents! This is going to be… a bit of a bumpy ride.” The bounty hunter grinned behind the APC’s controls.

Native to the planet and used to chasing her targets throughout her homeland, the dark-haired woman knew shortcuts and roads better than anyone else aboard this vehicle. If it had been just a normal day, she would even boast she could navigate through the city with her eyes closed. But she had to be serious, for now.

That didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy and let a faint smirk carve itself on her lips as she pushed the APC’s speed to its limits, making its engine roar. The scenery was quickly passing by, and true to Jaida’s words, the vehicle everyone was aboard shook a lot from all the maneuvers its driver was putting it through: Knocking a few garbage bins aside, narrowly passing through tight alleyways, hopping above small obstacles. Looking at how the hat-wearing huntress was driving the APC, one could deduce she was at ease at driving at reckless speed. Clearly, she had skills in shady city-driving business.

It didn’t take long with Jaida’s piloting expertise to bring the assault unit back to the Republic base. However, she was not quick enough to be part of the party. As she arrived at the foothold’s front gates, it seemed like everything was under control, if not a bit of a mess though. Still, it looked like no big losses had been suffered.

Bringing the APC in, Jaida tipped her hat to the defenders.

“Howdy. I see you’ve met the friendly locals. Kinda was expecting it. And to be honest, y’all should expect more in the future, stronger attacks though. I suspect whoever hired this rabble are only seizing up your strength from this small skirmish.”

Surta Matahari Huchson

---

She had gotten onto the APC without any real trouble.

A world such as this one with the Republic trying to regain it was bound to be extremely violent. What happened in the den, and what they were currently driving towards all pointed towards that being so. If at all possible, she could perhaps milk it for what it was worth, gathering enough money for herself until the job dried up. Then, hopefully, she will have enough to start a more profitable venture.

Surta was a bit disappointed when the fighting had already ended by the time they got there, but money earned doing nothing wasn't something she was about to refuse.

However, if they truly wanted to make an impact on these people, they would need to retaliate swiftly, and make an example of them. Had it been her in charge, she'd strap them on some engine and drive them around the place. The smell of their flesh cooking and their screams should make a reasonable impression on anyone thinking of raiding them again.

Anari fully doubted that Lahana’s headstrong tactics weren’t somewhat learned from Kale, but for the sake of her wellbeing as well as his own, she chose to place her focus on the tide of criminals that continued their attack. Redirecting the bolts from their weapons effortlessly, she was left with greater opportunity to cause disarray. Maintaining her grip on the Rodian dangling in the air above the makeshift battlefield, and the Duro desperately clinging to his ankles, the cover of the enemies was continually shifted about; exposing rows of gang members to open attack, the New Republic soldiers quickly caught on to the effort made by the Jedi to aid them by focusing fire on those who were exposed, resulting in swift deaths.

As this continued, Anari felt the vibration of her holocommunicator at her waist. Instead of answering the call in the middle of a fight, she chose to let it pass on its own. Whatever it was, it wasn’t worth risking the safety of both herself and the many soldiers working to repel the enemy as one. Kale, from the sounds, also received a call and wisely chose to ignore it. Perhaps he wasn’t as reckless as she remembered.

Lahana, on the other hand, concluded her rapid descent with a skillful use of the Force to cancel out the momentum built. Those near the center of her landing were blown away strongly, left scattered around on the battlefield to be knocked unconscious or struggling to return to their feet before being blasted in the chest. A brutal kick into the face of a thug sent him crashing into another, then her attention turned towards the large vehicle that must have initiated the assault. Lahana was taking hold of the bumper and began to raise it over her head.

“Did she come up with that on her own, too?” Anari asked Kale, pestering the thugs that charged at Lahana by seizing their ankles and causing them to fall prematurely. “You and I need to have a serious conversation when this is over!”

Lahana succeeded in throwing the truck, but the resulting explosion was far beyond the power one would expect from a simple toss. Anari shielded her eyes with her saber arm, watching as flames consumed the enemies that weren’t already burned to a crisp on the ground. Through the smoke she could sense Lahana was still alive, albeit not as mobile as before, and joined Kale who moved to find her as the smoke vanished. As expected, the Padawan was alive but sorely injured from her own reckless behavior. If they could be thankful for one thing, it was that they would not need to mourn the loss of one so young from their Order.

“Stay down. It’s over,” Anari assured Lahana, witnessing Kale gain control of the surviving enemies. A reminder of the pair she left hovering in the air brought her attention high, noticing the two still flailing about. Their presence was always in the back of her mind. “After your little detonator stunt, I had to be sure there were at least a few alive to question.” Guiding the dangling pair down, Anari set them beside the ten that remained. Neither of them appeared very willing to get back up, having had their fill of being airborne for quite some time.

Extinguishing her lightsaber and returning it to her belt, Anari beckoned the soldiers that were still combat ready, urging them to move in and secure the survivors. Commander Gallowin would be able to find some place to hold them, and may even be able to gain some information at the same time. Those that were injured in the assault were aided by their brothers and sisters in arms, rushing them to the medbay where they may be treated. The attack was swift and unforeseeable, but Anari hoped that they would not need to be informing next of kin. No one deserved to die out here, not at the hands of these people.

As the shackles were placed on the prisoners and an escort was given to take them elsewhere, Anari returned her attention to Lahana. “You risked much pulling a stunt like that. Do you need medical attention?” she asked her.

The low roar of a familiar armored vehicle entered the complex, once again forcing Anari’s attention elsewhere. As it came to a stop, she knelt and brought Lahana’s arm around her shoulders to help her stand, shouldering most of her weight should she not be able to endure the pain of injuries on her own.

From the vehicle came vaguely familiar individuals, notably fewer than before. Whatever raid they involved themselves in did not go well. But more concerning than that was the friendly tone of the woman who appeared to be the driver. She was sarcastic behind a friendly façade, with little to no empathy for those who died here to make a difference for this world. Whether she meant to or not, the woman came off as uncaring. There was a time and place for stating the obvious, and it wasn't now. Judging from the soldiers rushing towards the gate that were still ready and able to fight, they were one step ahead of her on preparing for the possibility of a second offensive. This tactic wouldn't work a second time.

“Kale, take Lahana from here,” Anari stepped forward, urging the Padawan’s arm be wrapped around Kale for support. If she chose instead to play her injuries off as ‘nothing’, it was not her concern. Kale could judge his Padawan’s health for himself. “I’ll see to it that the injured are taken care of, and reach out to an old friend. Find me later.”

With that said and done, Anari turned towards the nearest fallen soldier in the base with a severe wound in their left thigh, waving down any men and women in the area who could assist in moving him to the medbay.

Gloopra came around for the second strafing run, just in time to see them retreating. "Enemy forces are bugging out, requesting orders." He said into the comms as he slowed down over the front gates of the base.

"Let them go. If they come back, we'll be ready for them." Came the familiar voice of Vrerr. Gloopra smiled a little.

"Affirmative, sortie ceased." He slowly brought the Fighter in for a low fly "R7, take the ship back to orbit and enter silent running. I don't want them locating you." There was a chirping in response, before exitting the craft, he jumped down, whilst the ship was still in motion. He saw the other Jedi seeing to their wounded. He advanced on Master Kale. He bowed to the man as he approached "Master. I know it is not the place of one such as I to question your teaching methods, but you need to control your padawan. She has been NOTHING but trouble during this operation. I tried to give her leeway, allowing her to take the lead and... Well, i'm sure she will be eager to tell you how it went." He frowned. "I don't think she listened to a single order I gave her throughout this." He pointed a green, suction-cup like finger at her. "You nearly got us both killed with that stunt up there. I know you have your own vision of what it is to be a Jedi, but the most important part is Discipline... Something that you are sorely lacking in." He sighed. He then composed himself. "More importantly, Master, we have bigger troubles. Perhaps we should go inside, I will debrief away from prying ears."

Lahana groaned as Anari helped her to her feet. Her whole body was sore, though thankfully none of her wounds were serious. An application of a little bacta would be more than enough. "Why does everyone keep... saying that?" She said, struggling to move her legs. "I've dropped from the sky plenty of times. The first time was because my parachute broke, but still, it's not that strange is it?" She was handed off to her master, who she couldn't help but avoid eye contact with. "Master, I-" Before she could speak, Gloopra interjected. She glanced at the courtyard with a stoic expression as he rambled. There were well over one hundred corpses surrounding her. She felt a faint sense of familiarity and comfort. She gripped her arm and looked to the ground. "Disgusting."

"Gloopra, right?" Kale addressed the Jedi. "Rest assured she will learn her lesson." He let Lahana go, leaving her to stand on her own power. He tapped her on the shoulder, and her body suddenly felt much lighter. "We will speak in a moment Padawan, go take care of yourself." Kale said. Lahana's mouth twitched as if to say something, but she had nothing to say back.

"Yes, master." She whispered, walking off to the infirmary.

Kale motioned for Gloopra to lead the way. "So, what is the issue?" He said, glancing at the group of thugs he had apprehended as they were lead to holding cells by a couple armed soldiers.

Meanwhile Fufuro approached both Sutra, Jaida, and the other mercenaries. "You are welcome to stay in the barracks if you wish. As for your payment, the credits have been transberd to your accounts." She bit her tongue while speaking, flubbing a word. "Please do not hesitate to ask me any questions you may have."

Surta Matahari Huchson

---

She stared impassively at the carnage.

These Jedi were more like her than she thought. Was all this rot about them being 'good' and 'in control' just posturing? Gloopra alone seemed more fit to be one of those Sith they keep lumping her with. But that was hardly her problem. The padawan however...

Nodding at Fufuro when she spoke, and paying no mind to her messing up one of her words, Surta disengaged the suit and stepped out of it right there and there. With a simply flick, she simply programmed it to sit at the barracks. She had no worries about it being stolen, not when its at the barracks, and not when its registered to her biometrics.

It was funny to her, with how much contrast there was to the tall bulky power armor, to her own size, smaller and shorter than average. With the credits she accumulated, she could perhaps bulk it out some more, switch some of the platings, and maybe finally use the hard points on the suit to mount heavier weapons.

But for now, she moved towards the infirmary, to intercept Lahana as she moved there. With her light steps, it was but short while before she caught up with her.

"Are your injuries severe?"

Gloopra lead Kale and Anari inside of the base. They walked through the corridors where medics and cleanup crews were working. They finally made it back to the office where Vrerr was. She stood as they walked in. "Gloopra, Master Kale and Anari." She smiled. "I am glad you are all unharmed." She sighed in relief. "I imagine we will need to talk about the killing you did on that mission?" Gloopra shook his head.

"No, graver circumstances." He looked at Kale and Anari. "I trust Senator Vrerr to keep this to herself. I won't beat about the bush, I believe that there is a Sith on this planet. We had him cornered when... He escaped." He sighed, he was going to respect Lahana's decision to tell Kale the details of her errors herself. "I am not sure if he was truly Sith, but the dark side of the force surrounded and penetrated him. Our mission here has just become more serious than we thought." He said. "He identified himself as "Blank" and said that his "Boss" wanted a report on our abilities... The implications of this are... Disturbing to say the least. If we have a Sith and a master, then they might be trying to start a full-blown coven." He looked around. "Maybe i'm overreacting, maybe i'm not overreacting enough. I don't know which, but what I do know is that the sooner we find this "Blank" and his master, the easier this opperation will become." Vrerr sat down on the sofa an pressed her palms into her face.

"Force dammit... This is sounding just like last time..." She moaned. "When the Sith came to my world last time, there was 2 of them. They took over the local crime syndicates and slowly took over. If this is along the same lines, then it may already be too late to avoid an all-out war..."

Drawn from aiding the wounded by her fellow Jedi, Anari saw to it that the last man she tended to would be left in good hands before following Gloopra and Kale. Returning with them inside the base’s interior, the office she left with Kale would be the meeting ground. Senator Ordo’s presence was acknowledged with a nod, and she left the purpose of this gathering in Gloopra’s hands, making certain to close the door behind them with a wave of her hand. Despite the matter being related to the Jedi specifically, Anari wondered why Gloopra allowed the Senator to remain, but said nothing on the subject.

Instead, she chose to do what she did the most of, and that was listen carefully.

From the moment the term ‘Sith’ left Gloopra’s mouth, Anari’s attention wandered nowhere else. That claim was large, dangerous even. The last known Sith the galaxy ever knew were defeated on the same day, one redeemed, another vanquished. Gloopra was old enough to remember their names and the horror they wrought. To hear how easily he made this claim unbalanced her, but she offered no visible sign to take notice of. All the turmoil that explanation brought was kept within, where she could dissect everything he said, and try to make sense of it. As his version of the events ended and Senator Ordo brought up ancient history, Anari glanced at Kale who quickly nodded, giving her the floor first.

Anari’s dark eyes returned to Gloopra. “I believe you’re paranoid. Firstly, the last sighting of Sith was made a hundred years ago, and since then there’s been little suggestion that they have returned. If what the records of Grandmaster Skywalker left were true, then the Emperor placed his hopes on Skywalker joining him. As we know, that did not take place. The culmination of Sith knowledge and power died on Endor. All that should remain are ancient artifacts and myth.” She paused before quickly adding, “But anything is possible.”

She paused once again to allow that information to process in the minds of each person in the room. Once a handful of seconds passed, Anari then gestured to Kale with a short jerk of her head.

“Secondly, you claim that the dark side of the Force surrounds this “Blank”, and that his boss wanted a report of the New Republic’s might. If that were true, then why does another Jedi Master not sense a disturbance in the Force on the level you do? What makes you so certain that Blank is not simply adept at wielding a power he has yet to fully grasp, much like anyone the Jedi do not find first?” Anari asked. “Master Gloopra, we are not without flaw. We cannot locate every single man, woman, and child in the galaxy gifted with potential to use the Force for good. Sometimes others get to them first and turn that gift into a weapon for their own purposes. What you are describing sounds more like a trump card in a crime lord's pocket. What use do the Sith have for drug production?”

None, at least as far as Anari was concerned. She struggled to come to terms with the sad truth—that Jedi could not be everywhere at once, that they could not save every slave or potential student from manipulation or pain. Despite not holding the rank of Jedi Master, she believed in her ability to pierce the noisy veil that surrounded Gamorria and its society. Were the presence of the Sith here, she was confident she’d have felt something even before Kale did. He had his strengths, and she hers.

“Lastly, Commander Gallowin’s first order was a raid you took part in. Our very being here challenges those who rule Gamorria. It makes perfect sense that they are watching us,” she said, looking to Vreer. “As Match said, the people who truly run Gamorria have a network so large that the sun and moon are compared to it. Prominent. Even if your eyes aren’t on them, they still shine.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, her final word was directed at Gloopra. “Give me his description. I don’t believe he is Sith, but that does not mean he won’t be a threat to our cause. If he can walk away from two Jedi and a handful of trigger-happy mercenaries, then he’s stronger than you’re letting on.”

(colab with GreenGoat)

Lahana turned around after hearing someone address her, but saw no one. Though thinking about it, the voice did seem to come from below her. She looked down, and saw a child. "Huh?" She looked around as if searching for parents, a suit of power armor in the distance moving on it's own gave her an idea. "Wait, that was you in that thing?" She said a bit too loud. A child was the last thing she expected to be in the hulking suit, or to even be fighting in the first place. The battlefield was no place for a child, she knew that all too well. "No, I'll be fine. I don't think I got your name, I'm Lahana Sunset."

"Surta."

She moved towards Lahana's side to match her pace towards the infirmary.

"Surta Matahari Huchson."

Lahana looked human, to her eyes, but she was aware of a few races that were not human, and yet looked human. Marks of injuries on her face, not dissimilar to those on Surta's pirates. It would not surprise her if Lahana had been some sort of raider before, or being in a rough life on the side of the law.

"Are all the Jedi like that?" she asked, thinking of Gloopra.

"Like what? Who, the Rodian?" Lahana asked, unsure of the question. Regardless, the answer would be the same. "There's all kinds of Jedi. The order used to only take kids and would try to mold them into emotionless stoics. This caused a lot of them to fall to the dark side, as they couldn't properly handle their inner turmoil."

She opened the door to the infirmary, which was bustling after the recent battle. She looked at the number of soldiers with much worse wounds than her. She'd only get in the way here, she wasn't that hurt. She closed the door and turned to Surta. "Um, Jedi now are taught to acknowledge and confront their emotions. Take from the good and learn from the bad."

"Hmm..."

Surta looked into the infirmary, before deciding she couldn't possibly get a medical checkup without getting a lot of troublesome questions. Perhaps she should invest in making a medical droid instead.

"So instead of child soldiers, you get normal soldiers instead. At least that makes more sense now. You showed some skill at the battle before after all."

"We're not really-." Lahana let out a huff. She was effectively a soldier, wasn't she? It was all she was good at anyway. She shook her head. "Some skill, but not enough to know not to charge an enemy with a weapon I don't understand. I won't be making the same mistake again." She looked at her wrists, there were marks left from where Blank grabbed her. Of all the scars on her body not a single one was the same as another, she didn't accept unoriginal wounds.

"Surta." She looked to the young girl. "Do you have a place to stay? You can stay with me if you want. I'm sure the men here are trustworthy, but sleeping alone must worry you, right?" She asked. Lahana herself took a long time to become comfortable sleeping alone, even in a Jedi temple.

Thankfully, her expression was hidden behind the face plate she wore; she was more surprised that Lahana even cared enough to do that. Turning to face her, her face still hidden behind the plate, Surta pondered her choices for a moment.

"Really? You could do that?"

"Y-yeah." For some reason Lahana was expecting the girl to flat out reject the offer. "There should be enough room, the rooms are kinda small but there's enough space for two people."

An unexpected chance, an opportunity to take. Even if she was only sharing rooms with a Jedi, being able to say she was familiar with a Jedi wasn't something insignificant, at least in her scene. While many would not consciously care, there will be that feeling, that small seed that will remember, that will correlate skill with that. If, of course, Surta had displayed enough skill.

"I see. Would I not disturb your training? Or perhaps, your master?"

"My training huh? Now that I think about it there's no gym here..." Lahana frowned and cupped her chin in her hand. "And the food they serve here probably won't be fit for my diet either. Could I make some adjustments to my regimen?. I'll have to switch to body weight exercises. Maybe some of the local food could work too." She blinked and put her hand down as she realized she was about to start rambling. "Sorry, um, no it should be fine." Lahana scrunched her brows in thought, this girl seemed a bit odd. She couldn't explain what it was about her, aside from the off-putting mask, how did she see out of that thing anyway?

"Also uh..." She wasn't quite sure what she wanted to say, but seeing someone as young as her fighting felt too personal. "If you need something? Um, ask me I guess?" Was she trying to be reliable? Was she even close?

"Alright. I do not have much, but I will accept your offer." Surta held up a hand towards Lahana. "Perhaps.. perhaps, I can even help? With your training that is. I do not know what else I can do for you."

Lahana stared at Surta's raised hand for a moment before remembering what it was for. Handshakes were so strange to her, if she needed to know if someone had a weapon there were many better ways than waiting for them to open their hand. She grabbed Surta's hand and shook it right and left before letting go.

"I'd ask you to spar with me, but the last person I asked I ended up knocking them out. Holding back feels... Wrong. But uh, the room should be number twenty eight, I'm going there now to take a shower." Lahana leaned slightly forward before realizing that bowing wasn't the right thing to do in this situation. "I'll... see you." She said, walking off.



There was a stark contrast in Kale's demeanor upon hearing Gloopra's report. He usually had a loose, calm expression, but he was clearly tense at the moment. He let Anari speak first while he processed the new information. He agreed with Anari for the most part, he simply didn't believe Gloopra was being paranoid. This wasn't something one could be too careful about. "Whoever this is someone had to train him. If there's one of them we should assume there are more. I won't rule out the possibility of him being Sith, even if it is hard to believe. Regardless, this changes things. By abusing the power of the force they can not be considered simple criminals. From now on at least one Jedi should be present on every major mission... We must find whoever is at the top of this, I fear the more time passes, the greater our disadvantage will be."

Gloopra stared at Anari with a face of mild disbelief, mixed with slight concern. Anari had never met a Sith before. He had fought several, but when he did, he had always had Master Skywalker to back him up. Now he didn't. When she finished her first point, he interjected "Because Sith, much like Jedi, is a belief. It cannot simply be destroyed or rendered extinct. So long as knowledge and power exists, so long as people are willing to strive for both, then the Jedi and Sith will never truly be gone. I do not know if you have read our history, but my master was very clear that I learn from it. Before the great scouring, the Jedi ignored a Sith threat, believing it to not exist. It destroyed them." He leaned in close "There are dark places in this galaxy that are home to the unnatural. Korriban, Dathomir, Mustafar... Malachor..." he shivered a little at the word. Anari then brought up her second point.

"The Dark side clouds the vision. There was a time when Jedi could see into the future, tell you what would become of you... Then the Dark Times... The Empire... This vision was lost then and it was never found again. Locating a Sith is no easy task. The Force does not allow us to stare at a map and immediately see them. That is the danger of the Sith. Whenever they have attacked, they have done so with subtlety, attacking when we think ourselves strongest." He then let her speak again. When she had finishsed, he stared at her "I am not saying that we are infallible. I am not saying that this man is, without a doubt, a sith lord as powerful as Darth Bane himself, but what I am saying is that he is here and the Force is with him. That when I looked at him, I felt a darkness that I have not felt in over 100 years. But what is irrefutable is that he is here, that he is a direct and clear threat to our plans and that he must be brought to justice if possible... and killed if not..." He turned around and walked over to the Commander. "We are going to need reinforcements. We are going to need starships, fighters, a full battalion of soldiers. We barely have enough soldiers with us to hold this section, let alone the entire planet. We need to deploy military personnel and show them that, with all of their tricks, with all of their money, they are still just drugged up thugs." Vrerr took this opportunity to intercede.

"Gloopra, I sympathise with you, but we cannot escalate this situation any more than we need to. We must find a peaceful way to stop this. Not calling in an armada of vessels to lay waste to the city." She growled, before something seemed to ping in her head. "Or... Maybe..." Gloopra was a little taken aback by this.

"I... I didn't expect you to come around so easily..." He crossed his arms.

"No not you, you silly womprat." She started to pace "If we can get A starship... Anything... Any ship that would be large enough to act as a command center... We should be able to flush these men out." walked over to Kale. "Think about it. We need a symbol of the New Republic's strength, we need a command center that is not easily assaulted... A Star Cruiser would show the people of this planet that we mean business, it will inspire hope in the people and it will make excellent bait for whoever attacked us. They can't ignore a Battleship, it shows weakness on their part if we are allowed to keep it. But at the same time, they will be unable to simply throw at us "Drugged up thugs" as Gloopra put it. They will either need to show up in person, giving themselves away, or force them to hire Mercenaries, who's loyalty can easily be bought with enough money. In any eventuality, Our goals are furthered." She smiled a little. "Now, the only trouble is getting one big enough here..." She sighed.

She did not know where to begin with this.

Gloopra’s paranoia only grew while his evidence remained stagnant. The Force would exist whether a Jedi or Sith was behind its use, and this “Blank” likely didn’t fit with either side, only his own. It was beginning to grow painful listening to this prattle, but out of respect she did not intervene in the middle of his thoughts. In time, she wished that she did, before the ugliness of ignorance continued to rear its ugly head. By the end she was almost speechless, and could only be thankful that he was not the sole representative of the Order.

“That is your solution? To mobilize military assets, all on a hunch—a very weak one, might I add—that there is a Sith here, with Jedi already present?” Anari asked, eyes darting from Gloopra to Vreer. “And what if you’re wrong about your plan, Senator? What if they simply let it stay in orbit and continue their operation regardless, knowing full well that the New Republic is not barbaric enough to do anything drastic? You’d ask us to intimidate the populace for nothing. We don’t need power, we need intelligence. We need to know the enemy. So far, we know nothing except that at least one of them can wield the Force, and they are able to mobilize attacks with impunity.”

The heat in her blood rose at the thought of the New Republic ever considering either of these plans. Gallowin was a difficult man but there was nothing he’d done to suggest he was insane enough to go with this. It was the type of strategy she expected from the mercenaries recruited to aid them; not from one of the oldest Jedi in the Order, and not from a diplomat who should be looking at methods that prevented more casualties. Their mindsets leaned towards the Imperial, and Gloopra’s idea of peace was stretching close to the Sith themselves. Order through overwhelming force; throw your biggest ships and all the soldiers you could at the problem to make it go away.

Shaking her head at the solutions presented thus far, Anari’s eyes met Kale beside her. “I disagree, and I hope you do the same. I will not be a part of a military occupation founded on fear, not facts.”

She turned and opened the door with a subtle flick of her fingers at her side. “I’m going to see Lahana. Maybe she still has some sanity,” she added, turning the corner and focusing on the presence of the Padawan within the base. Not only would she provide another perspective of the events at the drug den, but she could also provide details about Blank that Gloopra neglected to mention on his own.

Gloopra and Vrerr watched Anari go off on a tangent about a plan that, where Gloopra had been aboard for, Vrerr was also opposed to. As she stormed off, Vrerr looked at Kale again. "I apologise if I was not clear enough in my plan. I suggestion is to station a single Star Cruiser in orbit to act as a command center. To tell the people that we are here for their benefit, to oust the crime lords from their position of power. To re-iterate, if they do nothing to the cruiser, then they are telling the people that there is nothing that they can do. Their power is proved limited, their support wanes, they are forced into a dangerous position that will cause in-fightig, their support wanes even further." She said. "To make a long story short, if we make a grand guesture to the people and show them that they are not alone and that their oppressors are not invincible, then they will either have to make a move against a power that they cannot hope to match, or be torn apart from the inside. With any luck, the latter. If the former... Then they will reveal themselves, at the very least." She said.

"That ship could end this without ever firing a shot." Gloopra sighed. He wasn't a tactician. He was a battlemaster. He had taken the oath put forward by Master Luke to fight the enemies of the Jedi, the oath to heed any call to battle for the light side of the force. He was essentially a blunt instrument in service to the Jedi and somewhat not technically a master.

"Possibly... But not likely. We will have to put pressure on them by using it to perform inspections on freighters carrying slaves and drugs... Lord knows we can't raid anything else." Galactic laws prevented them from raiding craft unless there was reasonable assumption that contraband was present. Slave ships were easy to prove due to hundreds of life signs clumped tightly together and Spice left a specific signature that was easily detectable without the right shielding. It was mere technicalities, but in any case, this would help a lot of people. "I am going to prepare a speech for broadcasting across the holonet, reassuring the people of this planet that they are no longer alone. That we will see this planet prosper as a safe hubworld of activity, rather than the cesspit of scum and villainy that it currently is." She bowed to them before returning to her room. Gloopra sighed a little.

"I apologize, Master Kale. I know that what I suggested was out of line but... Fighting is the only life I have ever known. Master Luke tried to show me a better way, he made an entire damn oath, just for me." He shook his head and sighed. "I wish I could be a real Jedi..."